


Paris

by Mansaeboysbe



Category: K-pop, NCT (Band)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-07-25 21:29:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16206023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mansaeboysbe/pseuds/Mansaeboysbe
Summary: “I wish I could go with you.”“I wish you could too.”





	Paris

**Author's Note:**

> -Admin Mari

The last rays of sunlight trickled in, casting a soft glow through the windows in the living room. The television was off and no sound came from the radio in the kitchen, however, the space wasn’t unoccupied.

(Y/n) was curled up on the leather cushions of the couch pushed up against the wall. Eyes fluttering beneath her closed eyelids, she slept through the afternoon. Most of the day had passed with her laid out there, waiting for the clock to strike seven and for Taeyong to return from practice like he had promised.

About an hour ago she had closed her eyes to relax and drifted off. This was how he found her at fifteen past seven.

Their home was cozy and it offered him comfort as he pushed open the door; however, he was a little disappointed when she didn’t even call out a hello as it was usually routine, albeit a cheesy one.

He walked further into their home and noticed the textbooks lying open on the kitchen island and closed them quietly after placing the papers inside as a bookmark. The rest of the room was fairly clean so he moved into the living room where he found (Y/n). Her arm hung off the side of the couch and her shirt was wrinkled up just enough to reveal the smooth skin of her stomach. Taeyong gently pulled the cloth down and covered her in the throw from the back of the couch after she shivered slightly.

He crouched down beside her, moving the stray hair off her face as she breathed in and out quietly. A soft smile grew on his face. Looking over his shoulder, he noticed some of the food wrappers lying on the coffee table. He attempted to pick them up without a sound but cringed when they crinkled lightly.

(Y/n) shifted, rolling over and curling her fingers around the blanket’s edge, but didn’t wake. He breathed a sigh of relief and left the room. He knew that if today was like any other time she catnapped, it would be a while before she awoke. He decided that it would probably be better to take a shower and change rather than sit around and wait.

The sound of running water caused (Y/n) to blink her eyes open wearily. She yawned and stretched her arms above her head. She sat up and leaned her head back against the cushions. Everything felt too heavy from fatigue. A minute later the faucet squealed and the water stopped. The bathroom door opened and (Y/n) could hear Taeyong walking back to their shared room. She felt a little upset at herself for not greeting him when he came home, but she knew he understood how tired she had been as of late due to the hours up at night spent cramming for finals.

While she was lost in thought, Taeyong emerged from the bedroom, hair still dripping from moments before. He carried a hair dryer in one hand and a brush in the other, padding along down the carpeted hallway and into the living room. As she looked up at him she knew immediately what he wanted from the many experiences before and unfolded her legs.

“Hi.”

“Hello,” she replied with a small smile.

He sat down on the ground leaning his back against the couch and handing the objects in his hand up to her.

(Y/n) leaned over and plugged the hair dryer into the outlet next to her and clicked the switch up to low. She used the brush to comb out his hair at first but, when the strands weren’t as wet, (Y/n) began running her fingers through his soft, brown hair. She could hear him practically purring as he melted beneath her touch. His muscles relaxed and his eyes fluttered shut. Even when his hair was dry, she still carded through it. She spent a while attempting to style it with the dryer, but to no avail.

As the sun dipped completely below the skyline (Y/n) clicked the hair dryer off and the two were draped in silence. It was a moment before either moved but, eventually, Taeyong stood and hooked an arm under her legs and behind her back. In one swift move, he picked her up, sat down where she had just been and placed her in his lap. (Y/n) didn’t say anything, just leaned her head into the space between his neck and collarbone.

Slowly the light faded from the room and, since neither had any desire to get up and turn the lights on, it gradually grew dark.

Taeyong adjusted his head and nuzzled his nose into her hair, exhaling softly.

Maybe it was the stress from the day or the impending days to come that promised to take their toll, but neither spoke a word for a while, simply basked in the silence, sharing glances like hidden love notes; undecipherable to others yet overflowing with affection.

Only when hunger pains interrupted the two did they move. Taeyong stood, offering to order takeout and (Y/n) stretched back out onto the couch, claiming she’d find a decent movie.

After a minute he returned. Lifting her legs, he sat and laid them across his lap before turning his attention to the screen in front of them.

“Weren’t we supposed to start our movie night a while ago?”

“You didn’t seem all that keen on it a couple minutes ago,” she replied as she flipped through the many movie choices in front of her. Finally settling on one, she hit play.

Twenty minutes in and she was already bored. Instead, she decided to watch Taeyong’s reactions. His unkempt hair fell over his eyes where his makeup from the day had started to rub off. He had his hands on her calves and was rubbing soft circles into the material of her pajama pants which were the same as the ones he was wearing. He got up when the doorbell rang but returned just as quickly, food in hand.

(Y/n) sat up, taking her portion, and leaned up against Taeyong as he sat down on the cushion beside her. Both tried to keep their attention on the screen but soon it became a game of sneaking kisses when the other wasn’t looking. Eventually, one movie became two and then (Y/n) found it hard to keep her eyes open.

She closed them briefly and listened to the sound of Taeyong clearing off the table. She could hear the clinking of the dishes being rinsed off in the sink and then he was shuffling back to the where she was.

“I’m sleepy…”

“I can tell,” he paused, “we should go to bed. Can you stand?”

She shook her head wearily, not even trying.

He let out a breathy laugh and picked her up bridal style. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head on his chest. Taeyong walked slowly, so as not to jostle her around and when he reached the bedroom he slowly pulled the covers back, put her down, and tucked her in. He moved to the other side of the bed and got in as well, laying on his side in order to face her. She rolled over too and he tangled his legs with hers, pulling her closer by the waist.

A couple minutes passed and (Y/n)’s breathing evened out.

“Are you still awake?”

She hummed slightly, staying still.

“I’m leaving next week,” he said softly.

Her brows furrowed and she opened her eyes at that.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“Because I didn’t want to ruin our movie night…”

She sat up and he tried to pull her back down, but she was stubborn in her actions. He pushed himself up too.

“Where are you guys going?”

He sighed and leaned against the headboard.

“Somewhere in Europe, I think. A couple shows here and some there. We’re going to different countries. I’m pretty sure we’re playing in Paris at least one night.”

She looked slightly disappointed at that.

“I wish I could go with you.”

He wrapped his arm around her, softly stroking her hair and placing a kiss on her forehead.

“I wish you could too.”

“You’re still going to call me though, right?”

“Every night. Just like I always do.”

“Okay…”

She leaned her head onto his shoulder and curled into his side.

He coaxed her into lying down again and after a few moments (Y/n) was fast asleep at Taeyong’s side.

He curled his fingers into the fabric of her shirt and moved until they were nose to nose before he fell asleep.

In the morning the sun sent warmth through the windows, promising a better day. Taeyong stretched out as he awoke, careful not to move (Y/n) as she slept quietly. He looked at the digital clock on his bedside table and noticed it would be a couple minutes before the blaring alarm would sound.

He knew it would do no good to try and drift off again, so instead he turned over to pull her closer. Her eyes twitched a little at the movement and she groaned but then settled once more.

A soft smile tugged at his lips and he couldn’t help but plant small pecks on her nose, her lips, her cheeks until she opened her eyes. A blush lit up her face as she whined in a groggy voice for him to stop.

He laughed and instead pulled her flush against him, crushing her. She squealed and demanded to be let go. All the commotion was interrupted by the sound of the alarm going off. Taeyong rolled over and used a little more force than necessary to hit the button.

He untangled himself from (Y/n) and swung his feet over the side of the bed, sitting up with a groan.

“How late will it be when you get back?”

“You’re not going to like the answer,” he replied.

She pouted before sitting up as well. Both went through their morning routine, which included them standing side by side in the bathroom as they brushed their teeth, making fun of each in the mirror and trying not to laugh, before padding down the hallway toward the kitchen with their hands brushing with each movement.

(Y/n) pulled out plates from the cabinet as Taeyong made some toast and in very little time the two had sat down, ate breakfast, and soon he was at the door, kissing her goodbye and trying to convince her to not stress about her classes, which she always assured him she wouldn’t but did anyway.

She peeked around the front door, biting her lip and sighing as she watched him leave. Slowly, she shut the door and made her way back into their home, which now felt empty. (Y/n) decided that it would be better to be productive than to mope, so she grabbed her textbooks and her bag and left as well to find a quiet place to study before her classes began. She spent the majority of her walk to a local coffee shop thinking about the days to come: tests, bills, Taeyong leaving.

A wave of emotion overcame her as she thought about his absence. It wasn’t that he ever left for long, but he did tend to be away for copious amounts of time. Not only was it lonely, but she knew the stress it put him through was major. Already he was expected to perform well and take care of all the younger members of NCT. Traveling meant doing so in places where he usually didn’t even speak the language.

(Y/n) had to stop herself as she felt stress overwhelm her too. She always tried to make sure his life was as stress-free as possible at home and worrying herself would not help anyone. Originally, she had started movie night as a way to get him to relax during the middle of the week. They had started the tradition all the way at the beginning, about a week into their relationship, and it had stuck, although usually they only watched one movie and then the rest of the night was dedicated to “rant time,” which was about an hour of listening to each others problems as a form of catharsis. But there were times when silence was the best medicine. Like last night.

As she approached the shop, (Y/n) tried to clear her thoughts and think about the material she had learned.

Taeyong did the same as he laid down on the cold floor of the practice room when they finally took a break, hours later. Most of the other boys left to get food, however, Taeil came over to sit down next to Taeyong, who was soaked in sweat and had an arm over his eyes to block out the light.

“Did you tell (Y/n) about the trip?” Taeil asked while crisscrossing his legs.

“Yeah,” Taeyong said after a minute.

“How did she take it?”

“She was upset.”

“Well, that’s a good thing because that means she will miss you.”

Taeyong sighed and sat up, turning to face Taeil.

“I guess.”

Taeil reached over and patted him on the shoulder but it offered him little comfort.

As the others began to file back in, Taeyong stood back up.

He found it harder than usual to concentrate during the rest of practice and the others began to notice. As they finished up some of the other boys came up to him to ask if he was alright. He told them what he knew they wanted to hear just so they would leave him be. They all headed back to the dorm and Taeyong pulled Taeil aside again.

“I’ll be back in a little bit. I need to do something really quick.”

Taeil nodded in understanding and watched as Taeyong walked off in the opposite direction.

Taeyong didn’t end up going back to the dorms that night. Instead, he cleared his head before heading back home and confronting (Y/n).

She met up with him halfway through the walk back, skipping to his side and taking a hold of his hand to not lose him. He had smiled warmly, given an affectionate greeting and squeezed her hand in his. They walked back to their home with their fingers laced together and (Y/n) could feel the rising blush as Taeyong asked about her day, her classes, her finals (interjecting to say she was too smart for her own good and would probably ace all of them without a hitch) before she returned the favor by asking about the boys, their practice, their routine.

Their door came into view and Taeyong took the keys out of his pocket.

“We should go out to dinner later,” Taeyong said blithely.

“Do you think we should? What if someone spots us?”

Taeyong wanted to retort that he didn’t care but the logical part of him knew that even the two of them holding hands in public was dangerous, even with their masks and hats that they had got into the habit of wearing.

“You’ve got a point,” Taeyong started, “Maybe we should make something instead.”

She nodded in agreement and each discarded their shoes next to the door as they went inside. Most of their entryway was covered in framed photos of the two, and occasionally some with the boys, which (Y/n) took a moment to pause and look at. Again she was hit with a wave of emotions like earlier and only when Taeyong called out a “Jagiyah, are you coming?” did she snap out of it.

She trotted into the kitchen to see many ingredients pulled out onto the counters already.

“I thought we could try something light.”

She looked up at him with a disbelieving expression, “this is light? It looks like you could make a four-course meal with all this.”

He laughed and nudged her shoulder with his in a playful manner.

“We better hurry then or else we’ll be up all night.”

(Y/n) giggled a little at that and began doing as Taeyong instructed, knowing full well that he commanded the kitchen in their home.

She turned on the radio and danced around the kitchen when her favorite songs came on, with Taeyong watching in amusement as he prepped the food, of course. She screamed when the latest NCT song came on before running over to turn the music up. He gave her a warning glare, which she replied to with a devious smirk and very loud, off-pitch singing. He gave in after a minute and smiled at her antics.

Most of the evening continued like that until dinner was finished and the table was set. They had decided to abandon their habits of eating in the living room for the night so they could face each other and actually talk without dialogue from a cheesy movie interrupting them. It was the first time in a long time that the table had been cleared off and dishes had been served family style. They both knew it couldn’t replace going out to a restaurant and eating in a different atmosphere, which is why they hadn’t attempted cleaning the table off in the first place, but it was nice to shake things up.

Dinner time was spent laughing and trying to avoid the stress lurking over both of their heads like dark clouds. They stole food off each other’s plates and scooted their chairs so close that their knees bumped together.

Taeyong stopped pushing his food around for a second as he looked up at her from across the table.

“(Y/n),” he called and she looked up. “I love you.”

A blush flared across her cheeks.

“I love you, too.”

It wasn’t completely rare when Taeyong voiced his affection, however it was usually expressed through actions rather than directly spoken. She had been caught off guard and the small smile that played on his lips showed that he had wanted to surprise her.

“Come on.” He cleared the plates and handed a cloth for washing down the table to (Y/n). It was quiet as they cleaned and she sat back down when she finished, just listening to the sound of the dishes clinking against one another in the sink. After a minute the water drained from the sink and Taeyong wiped his hands off as he leaned back against the counter. The radio’s volume had been turned down and now only the soft notes and indistinguishable lyrics could be heard.

He let out a soft sigh while closing his eyes. (Y/n) glanced at the analog clock by the doorway. It was already nine in the evening and each tick conveyed how much closer it was getting to a new day. Closer to his leaving.

Taeyong pushed himself away from the counter before walking over to (Y/n) and reaching out for her hand. She could sense his hesitation from his movements and the way he parted his lips to speak before shutting them as if he knew he couldn’t get the words out.

Instead, he focused on lacing his fingers with hers before tugging her up and into his embrace. He placed his other hand on the small of her back and leaned his forehead against hers. They stood still instead of swaying as (Y/n) had expected. That was when she realized how stressed out he must have been.

Every other time he had pulled her into this position there was always some movement or another, but now it was as if he was only looking for comfort in her touch.

She reached up with her free arm and wrapped it around his neck which he responded to by curling his fingers into her shirt and moving to bury his face in the space between her neck and shoulder.

Taking a step back she urged him to follow her with his movements. He did so, barely detaching himself.

On this night, it was her turn to take him to bed. She pulled the covers back and moved him to sit on the mattress before sitting beside him.

“I’m leaving on Wednesday.”

(Y/n) brought her legs up onto the bed and pulled Taeyong back so they could lay down. When they were situated in their usual position of curling against each other, she spoke.

“Let’s not worry about that right now.”

He didn’t answer.

They laid in silence until they fell asleep and (Y/n) was a little upset that Taeyong hadn’t really shared what was bothering him since she figured it went beyond the trip.

From there on the home always seemed too quiet. The closer Wednesday got, the more Taeyong drew in on himself.

On the Tuesday night before, (Y/n) sat on the edge of the bed as she watched Taeyong organize his suitcase as he sat on the floor. His carry on bag was already packed and sat by the door.

He folded another shirt and put it with the others. His face showed no emotion and she figured it was because his mind was elsewhere.

“What time are you all leaving in the morning?”

The question seemed to draw him out of his thoughts.

“I have to leave here at half-past seven.”

He faltered in his movements before turning around to face her.

He looked up at her before asking, “what time are your classes tomorrow?”

She heaved a sigh and fell backward onto the mattress with her arms spread out on either side.

“They start at eight and I have most of my major tests then.”

His expression morphed into one of concern.

“You need to sleep then and when you get home tomorrow I want you to make sure you eat.”

She smiled to herself as she listened to his nagging.

“Tae, I will,” (Y/n) said, sitting up and pulling her legs underneath her, “but I want to stay up with you since I won’t see you in person for a while.”

He cast his gaze downward in an upset manner. He nodded solemnly and then continued on with his packing, resorting back to silence.

When he was finished, Taeyong rolled the suitcase out by the main entryway and brought his other bag out as well. He returned to the bedroom and tackled (Y/n) down onto the bed. He didn’t even bother shifting from the way they had flopped down and instead preoccupied himself with playing with her hair as she giggled uncontrollably.

“I’m sorry I’ve been distant,” he said quietly.

“It’s okay, Taeyong. You have a lot going on.”

“But that’s not an excuse to shut you out.”

“No, but I understand.”

He sighed and closed his eyes instead of arguing.

Morning came quicker than either wanted and soon the two were standing face to face minutes before Taeyong was supposed to depart. He reached out and pushed some of (Y/n)’s hair back behind her ear.

“I’ll be back before you know it.”

She smiled sadly, biting her lip to hold her tears back.

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead before tilting her chin up with his finger and kissing her lips.

“I love you,” he whispered as they separated.

“I love you, too.”

He kissed her forehead once more before pulling his mask up over his nose, grabbing his luggage and opening the door.

“Goodbye. Good luck on your tests.”

“Bye,” she murmured.

The door closed with a final click and (Y/n) furiously rubbed at her eyes to erase any evidence of her tears before her classes started. She gathered up her materials and headed out to her school.

For the first few hours, he texted her updates and a couple photos of himself and various bandmates as they waited to board. Then, of course, he had to go and soon there was nothing for hours. (Y/n), however, was busy with her tests and wasn’t completely bothered by his silence. The day sped by fairly quickly but she could feel her will to stay awake deteriorating with each passing hour.

By the time she was about to take her final test for the day, she was relying on her third cup of coffee. It might have been the immense amount of stress she had been under as of late but the whole day just felt off. Her last test felt longer than the others and her focus kept drifting elsewhere, yet somehow she both remained awake and finished her test before the bell rang.

The sky remained overcast as she walked home and all she really wanted was to curl up into a ball as she watched movies in bed. It wouldn’t be the same without Taeyong, though. It was never the same when he was gone. At least when he stayed the night at the dorms she knew he was safe. It was completely different when he traveled since sometimes she didn’t even know where he was.

She shook her mind of those thoughts and went back to looking at her surroundings as she walked home. (Y/n) thought about how long it would take for Taeyong’s flight to arrive, especially if they were flying directly to Europe. It would probably be too late to call and she was reminded of the loneliness that would prevail for the next couple of weeks.

She checked her phone for any updates from the boys before she reached her home. There was nothing but the lock screen photo of her and Taeyong together on their last anniversary. It was almost mocking her.

Dragging her feet to the door, she unlocked it and leaned her weight on the wood to push it open. She slipped her shoes off as she closed the door. Sighing, she walked a little way into the kitchen and put her bag down on the kitchen table where clutter had begun to gather since their dinner the week before.

She yawned and looked around the kitchen, remembering the promise she made to Taeyong about eating after her tests. She wanted to eat if only to make him happy, but the emotions roiling inside her made the thought of food unbearable.

(Y/n) shuffled out into the hallway, glancing into the living room before moving to the bedroom.

She stopped.

She turned back around and looked into the room. Sure enough, the whole place looked completely different.

The main lights were off but strings of fairy lights were hung up along the walls, casting a soft, blue glow on the room. The furniture in the room had been pushed off to the side, except for the television, which played soft music with a constant photo of the Eiffel Tower under the Parisian moon.

A table and chairs were situated in the middle of the room. In all honesty, they looked like they were meant for a patio with the iron backs welded into hearts. The padding on the chairs were covered in floral print and as (Y/n) approached she noticed that the table’s legs were made to look like ivy was crawling up them. On the table was perfectly arranged silverware and napkins next to silver platters that were covered to preserve the food underneath.

As she went to uncover one of the dishes a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist. She didn’t even have to turn around to know who was holding her.

(Y/n) spun around and buried her face in Taeyong’s shirt as she burst into tears. He laughed softly as he rocked her.

“I thought you left already,” she managed to say between sniffles.

“We leave tomorrow, for real.” She chuckled at that. “I just thought it would be nice to surprise you one more time before I left.”

She pulled back and wiped her eyes. He rubbed his thumbs across her cheeks to help the tear stains dissipate. When she had calmed down, he reached out and pulled the chair next to her out so she could sit. He pushed it back after she sat and then settled into the one across from her.

Taeyong pulled the covers off the dishes in front of them and showcased a variety of French cuisine.

“Wow…” (Y/n) said in amazement.

He smiled at her and motioned for her to take what she wanted, which she gladly did as her appetite had been restored.

They spent the better part of an hour talking as they ate. (Y/n) practically demanded to know how he had planned all of this without her knowledge, which he thought was amusing. They held hands across the table and he rubbed circles into her soft skin.

“I had some help from the boys but I did most of it.”

She smiled at him and noticed the almost indiscernible way his hand started to tremble as if he was losing his composure.

“I lied,” Taeyong said suddenly, standing up quickly. Their hands were still connected as he hadn’t let her go. She blinked in confusion as she watched him take a deep breath as if to steel his nerves. “I have one more surprise.”

He walked over to her side of the table and waited for her to angle herself toward him.

And then, slowly, he lowered himself down to one knee and produced a velvet box from his pocket with his free hand. He opened it with precision to show the simple diamond ring within.

“It took a lot to convince the president but as soon as he gave permission I went out and bought this.” He hadn’t looked up at her until he finished saying that.

She was crying all over again and he could feel the way her hand shook. He bit his lip for a second.

“Yes,” (Y/n) said quickly, barely containing herself.

At this, he laughed and suddenly his nerves were gone.

“(Y/n), I didn’t even get to ask!”

“Well then ask already, damn it.”

His laughter increased and he spoke again, “(Y/n) (Y/l/n), would you do me the honor–”

“Yes!”

He couldn’t stop laughing as they stood and hugged each other. She joined in laughing as well and watched as he took the ring out of the box and slid it onto her finger.

She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him tight, which he responded to by cradling her to him.

“I love you, (Y/n).”

“I love you, too.”


End file.
